Need A Little Faith
by reviewgirl911
Summary: Jackie has a secret: she has leukemia. What happens when the gang finds out? Where will her relationship with Hyde go? Read to find out! Set in S5 for now. Might change that later.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my newest That '70s Show fan-fic. I've had this idea floating in my head for a while, and I just needed to get it out. It's set in season six. I'm not really familiar with that particular season, so please take pity on me. Hyde and Jackie are together, but a secret of Jackie's emerges and changes everything. What will happen to everyone's favorite midget? You'll have to read to find out. Reviews are always appreciated! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show nor do I claim to. Mostly cuz no one would believe me.**

The children of the Point Place Hospital cancer ward were buzzing with excitement. It was Friday, and that meant a visit from their favorite volunteer. These patients were particularly obedient on Fridays. All a doctor had to do to get them to behave was to tell them that the beloved volunteer wouldn't visit them if they were bad. The children loved the visits too much to continue misbehaving. Nurses and doctors marveled at this. It amazed them how one person's presence could have such a huge effect on so many patients. Nevertheless, they were grateful for the former patient's visits. It was hard for a lot of former patients to come back, but this girl did it with pleasure. She had become a familiar face in the cancer ward, and everyone loved her.

Jackie Burkhart walked into Point Place Hospital with a bag full of surprises. She waved to familiar nurses as she passed them. Jackie spent so much time in the hospital as a child, so she knew the majority of the staff's names. Her favorite nurse, Tammy, stopped her for a moment. Tammy had been there for Jackie more than her own parents. She and another woman had given Jackie the will to keep going. "Any pain?" she asked quietly. Jackie shook her head no. "Well, I have to ask. I'm a natural worrier." She just smiled and kept going.

The tiny brunette made her way towards the cancer ward. She took a deep breath as she entered. Coming back always made her nervous, but she kept doing it anyways. Jackie loved seeing the looks on the kids' faces when she gave them gifts or told them stories. And really, she loved those kids. They were having their childhoods, and maybe even their lives, taken away from them, and yet they weren't bitter or angry. The kids in the hospital ward had the same priorities regular kids did. They loved to play with their friends and goof around. And being in a hospital certainly didn't stop must of them from doing that.

She entered her first room. Jackie visited a total of fifteen rooms every Friday. These kids were aged from 4-12, and they had all different kinds of cancer. The loud midget knew each one of their favorite colors, foods, and animals. She listened to them when they talked, and she made them feel special.

"Jaxie!" the little girl in the bed squealed in delight. Jackie smiled. Wendy was only four years old, the youngest kid in the ward. She had brain cancer, pretty severe from what Jackie was told. That didn't stop the girl from being the little princess of the ward. She loved playing dress-up and listening to fairytales. The doctors gave her a 40% survive rate, but Jackie disagreed. The little girl was tough; she didn't even cry when they had had to shave her golden blonde hair off. She had simply shrugged her small shoulders and stated, "I wook like a martin", with a lopsided grin.

Jackie gave Wendy a big smile. "Hey, Wendy-Woo. How are you today?" She always made sure she didn't ask how are you feeling today because that question had always pissed her off as a kid. How do you think someone with cancer feels?

"Good. Mommy and Daddy came to see me today. Mommy bought Erin. He's weally tiny." The little girl used her hands to show how small her little brother was. "Then I went to teatment."

"And how was that?" Jackie prodded gently. The little girl shook her head.

"It was okay. It didn't hurt as much this time." Wendy paused before adding something else. "After tat, I wached Rany and Tim pank the nurses."

Jackie raised an eyebrow. "And what did they do?" Randy and Tim were the two major pranksters in the hospital. Being sick certainly didn't slow them down. They reminded Jackie of younger versions of Fez and Michael.

The little girl shook her head. "I'm not awowed to tell. Rany theatned to tear off Mr. Wabbit's head if I do." She clutched her beloved stuffed rabbit tightly.

"We wouldn't want that to happen." Jackie changed the subject. "So, what do you feel like doing today?"

"Can you wead a story?" Wendy asked with a pout. Jackie laughed and shook her head out. She pulled out a beautifully made story book and opened it up. The "spoiled" princess began reading about a real princess, Sleeping Beauty. The little girl listened, captivated by the story. At the end of the story, Jackie rummaged through her bag and pulled out a glittery tiara. Wendy squealed in delight.

"Now you can be a princess too," Jackie told the little girl sweetly, who immediately put it on her head. She said goodbye to a very happy Wendy and proceeded to the next room. She did the same thing for each child she visited. Jackie would ask how they were. If they wanted to talk, she listened. If they wanted to play, she had a game. If they wanted to read, she had a story. Jackie knew all the patients, and she had started to bring them things she knew they would love. A little over three hours later, Jackie had visited every room. She was tired but satisfied. The small cheerleader had checked up on all the kids and made sure they had fun. She didn't spend equal time with all of them, but she did make sure they all got equal attention.

Most people would probably wonder why Jackie Burkhart, popular cheerleader, would spend her Friday nights visiting sick children in the hospital. It was something surprisingly compassionate of the former rich girl to do. What would surprise people even more is the fact she never says anything about it. The shallow side of Jackie would be bragging about her volunteer work to anyone who would listen. No one knew the deeper side of her, the side that felt a deep connection to the kids she visited. To Jackie, those kids were what she had once been: sick, scared, and alone. The bossy beauty would do anything to prevent them from feeling the pain she had felt from parents who left her alone in a unfamiliar hospital. Jackie would never forgive her parents for that, and she suspected they couldn't forgive themselves either. Her childhood had been hell, and it wasn't just because of her parents. It was because of the leukemia she had been diagnosed with at age five. After a year of treatment, she had beat it, only to have it come back stronger at the age of ten. The pain was unbearable, and her parents were never there. The nurses and volunteers gave her the strength to keep fighting. Now, seven years later, the leukemia had yet to reappear, but a part of Jackie knew that it was only a matter of time. She also knew that she had to make use of that time.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Jackie made her way out of the cancer ward. Unfortunately, she ran into Mrs. Forman on the way out. "Jackie!" the mother hen shouted cheerfully. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Just visiting a friend," she lied smoothly. Jackie didn't want people to know she volunteered. She didn't want anyone to find out about the cancer, especially Hyde and the basement gang.

"Oh, well I hope they're alright," Kitty said worriedly.

"Yeah, she's fine. Just a broken bone, nothing major." The mismatched-eyed beauty looked down at her shoes. She hated lying to Mrs. Forman.

"Need a ride?" the kind older lady offered.

"Sure," Jackie responded with a grateful smile. They headed outside and got into the car. They drove, Kitty chatting away and Jackie listening. For some reason, she was really tired today. She ignored the bad possibility and just pinned it down to the strenuous day. They arrived at the Formans', and Jackie got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Forman."

"No problem, sweetheart," Kitty responded with a smile. Jackie headed down into the basement. Sure enough, the whole gang was sitting in the basement watching Gilligan's Island. They looked at her as she walked in. The greetings were varied.

"Jackie, thank God!"

"Hey devil."

"Goddess!"

"Hey Jackie!"

She looked over to Hyde, who just smiled. The tiny brunette walked over and sat down in her boyfriend's lap. "Hey Puddin' Pop," she whispered softly.

"Hey Doll," he greeted. He kissed her, and she snuggled into his lap. Jackie loved sitting in the basement in Hyde's lap. It made her feel complete. She loved hearing Kelso and Fez concoct crazy schemes, and she loved hearing Donna and Eric squabble over stupid stuff. When the loud midget though of the future, she thought of more moments like that. Jackie didn't want to look any further into the future because she didn't want to make plans that might not happen. Truthfully, Jackie was scared of the future. She felt safe in the basement, and she prayed that the safety would last.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so sorry I haven't updated this! My schedule has been hectic, and I've been really tired lately. I know all my stories are due for an update, so I'll try to work on that over my Easter break. I know my last author's note said this took place in season six, but I've decided to change it to season five because it will help my story make more sense later on. Just to make sure everyone's clear, it is maybe middle of season-fivish. Kelso has knocked up Brooke, the nurse incident never happened, Jackie's parents are gone, Jackie is living with Donna. and Donna does go to Catholic school. Hope that all makes sense. Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone got to see a different side to Jackie. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show. There's a better chance of my dad winning the lottery than me owning this show. **

Jackie walked into Donna's bathroom quietly. The redhead was still asleep, and she didn't want to wake her. The tiny brunette closed the door and looked in the mirror. Her reflection scared her. Jackie's normally olive-toned skin looked sickly, and her whole frame looked smaller. Jackie felt a familiar pain and knew her worst fear had come true: the leukemia was back. She remembered all of these symptoms. The pain in her ribs, the nausea, the constant fatigue… Jackie felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily. She wasn't going to cry over this. It wasn't going to help her. Jackie knew she needed to be strong and practical to survive this. She had done twice before, and she prayed that she could do it again.

Jackie walked out of the bathroom and tipped-toed downstairs to the kitchen. She picked up a phone and dialed a familiar number. "Hey, Fiona, it's Jackie. I know you're really busy out in California, but I need you. It's back." The loud midget listened carefully as the person on the other line talked.

Donna woke up the next morning and looked around the room. Something felt off. Then she realized that there was no peppy Jackie to greet her while chatting her ear off. Donna found this odd since she remembered her best friend sleeping in their room that night. The lumberjack headed downstairs to find a tired-looking Jackie sipping a cup of coffee. "Hey," Donna said loudly to get the tiny girl's attention.

Donna's voice startled Jackie. "Morning, lumberjack," Jackie responded before taking another sip of her coffee. The redhead sat down next to her. Donna could smell Jackie's coffee just sitting near it.

"Jackie, exactly how strong did you make that coffee?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Strong enough to get a person out of a coma," Jackie retorted. Donna walked over to the coffee pot and sniffed.

"Oh my god, you weren't joking," Donna stated with a smile. Jackie shrugged.

"It keeps me awake," she said casually. Jackie knew the coffee would stop doing anything in a matter of weeks, but she would take any kind of energy for the time being. Her life wasn't stopping because she was sick.

Donna headed over to the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of orange juice. "Coming to the basement today?" Of course, it was never really a question. The lumberjack knew her loud friend would show up.

"Later. I have something to do this morning," Jackie replied vaguely. She had called earlier that morning and arranged a doctor's appointment. Of course, she wasn't about to tell Donna that. No one was going to know about her cancer as long as she could help it. Her tall best friend nodded. The two girls ate their breakfast in a peaceful silence.

After breakfast, Jackie walked to the hospital. She went in and headed down to the cancer ward. Tammy spotted her and frowned. She knew Jackie didn't visit on Saturdays. "Is it.." she trailed off. Jackie nodded sadly. The nurse gave her favorite patient a hug. Jackie fought back the tears in her eyes. Tammy let her go, and the tiny brunette headed off to her doctor's appointment. The appointment went as Jackie expected it to go. She, Jackie Burkhart, had leukemia for the third time in her life. Apparently, it was stronger than the first time she had but weaker than the second. The small cheerleader hoped that meant she wouldn't lose her hair this time. Of all the things to hate about the cancer, she hated that it had taken away her beautiful hair. The doctor gave her some pills for the pain and told her that she could start treatment in two to three weeks. Jackie was worried about how she was going to pay. Her parents were MIA, and Bob certainly couldn't afford it.

She walked towards the hospital exit. Jackie got outside and sat down on the bench, finally letting her sobs consume her. Why had this happened to her? Jackie wasn't a bad person. Sure, she acted spoiled and shallow sometimes, but that was just an act to cover up all the hurt. Most of the people she loved always ended up leaving, and the ones that didn't were taken away from her. Jackie had made many friends with diseases like hers that had died. She kept a scrapbook of pictures with them in it. It broke her heart a little more every time she added a new page.

"Jackie?" The dark-haired girl turned around to see Laurie Forman of all people standing behind her with a worried expression on her face. Well, as worried as Laurie could get.

She looked at Laurie. "Getting your VD treated?" she sneered. Jackie didn't feel like talking to Laurie, and she didn't want the slut to see her cry either.

The blonde bimbo rolled her eyes. "So clever. I've never heard that one before. I was just visiting a friend of mine", Laurie winked, "and I saw you sitting here crying like a baby. What's up?"

"Nothing," Jackie mumbled. The girl who had slept with Kelso was not the person she wanted to open up to.

"Yeah, not buying that." Laurie started guessing. "Did Hyde give you a disease? Are you pregnant?"

Jackie let out a painful laugh. "Trust me, those would be better." This made the demon sister of Eric even more curious.

"What can get worse than that?" Laure asked incuriously. In her mind, those were the worst two options.

"I have leukemia," the mismatched-eyed beauty admitted. Laure did a double take.

"You have what?" Laure exclaimed. Having Kitty Forman as a mother meant she did know what leukemia was. It was cancer of the blood, and it was very painful. She couldn't believe this annoying midget actually had it. "Wait, who else knows?"

"Nobody," Jackie whispered softly. Laurie looked at her in shock. The slutty blonde had thought she would've told Hyde or at least Donna.

A though popped into Laurie's head. "Wait, I'm the first one to know?" she asked. Jackie nodded. "Awesome burn!"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You can't tell them. I don't want anyone to know yet." This stopped the blonde in her tracks.

The tiny cheerleader was surprised when a sincere statement came out of Laurie's mouth. "Jackie, you have to tell them. For some reason, those idiots care about you, and hiding this isn't going to make this any easier on them."

Jackie knew what Laurie was saying was true, but she wasn't about to admit that aloud. "I will. Telling someone 'Hey, there's a good chance I might die' isn't exactly easy to throw into a conversation."

"Just do it fast like a shot," Laurie advised with a smirk. Despite everything, Jackie laughed.

"You know, Laurie, you're not that bad when you're not acting like a complete psycho skankazoid," Jackie stated teasingly.

"And you're not that bad when you're not being a spoiled princess," Laurie shot back. And that began a tentative friendship between Jackie and Laurie. Some people would it was plain weird and out of character for both girls. After all, Jackie had punched Laurie one time. Those people would be right. Still, the two girls bonded over Jackie's secret. It was only a matter of time before the news came out, and Jackie needed all the support she could get.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, thanks for the reviews! I always love reading them! I know it was kind of weird for Laurie to be the first one to find out, but at the same time it made sense to me. Laurie has a nicer side, too, after all. Plus, that would be an amazing burn. Oh, and I'm not a cancer expert, so forgive any mistakes involving that part of the story. If you actually know anything about leukemia, I'd be more than happy to include it in this story. Just message me. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show. Owning that show would imply that I'm loaded, and I'm not, so that answers your question. **

The weekend went by as per usual. Jackie spent her time in the basement hanging out with the gang. She was trying to memorize the little things, the things she didn't want to forget. Like the way Eric would wave his hands around animatedly while he babbled on about Star Wars, or the way Hyde would frog Kelso if he said something about her. Jackie was afraid losing all of it. She didn't want to die. There were too many things she wanted to do, and not nearly enough time to do them. Of course, Jackie's silence that weekend seemed weird to everyone.

"Jackie, are you okay?" Donna had asked worriedly. Jackie stifled a sarcastic laugh.

"I'm fine," the tiny brunette had replied with a fake smile. Donna hadn't bought it, but she let the subject drop. Laurie continued to be the only person who knew Jackie's secret. The slutty blonde's presence in the basement became more frequent, much to Eric's dismay.

"Don't you have someone's husband to go sleep with or something?" Eric had asked his sister the last time she had been down in the basement.

Jackie, to everyone's shock, had defended Laurie. "At least her hobbies don't include playing with dolls. Funny, and we all thought Laurie was the sister." Eric fumed while the rest of the gang laughed at Jackie's burn.

"The two devil spawns are conspiring together!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the two girls. They both rolled their eyes at him.

"Thanks, midget," Laurie told Jackie.

"No problem, skank. I love a good reason to burn Eric," Jackie replied casually. Hyde noticed how his girlfriend called Laurie a skank with no real malice in her voice.

The biggest shock came Monday morning. Eric and Hyde were eating lunch on Hyde's car as per the gang's ritual. Kelso came running up to them, his expression excited. "Guys! Guys! I have huge news!" he shouted gleefully.

"What now? Did you nail Pam Macy again?" Hyde guessed. Kelso's news had never shocked him, and he didn't believe it ever would.

"Jackie quit the cheerleading squad!" Kelso blurted out. Both Eric and Hyde did a double take. Did they hear him right?

"The devil did what?" Eric asked incredulously. Cheerleading was such a big part of Jackie's persona. None of them could imagine the loud midget not cheering.

"She held an emergency meeting this morning, and she told the squad she was quitting. After that, she said, 'Adios, bitches!', and walked out." Kelso dished.

"Wait, man, how did you find out?" Hyde asked curiously. Clearly, Jackie hadn't told him because she would've told the gang at the same time. Big announcements were always done in front of the group.

"I was making out with Julie Marks behind the bleachers today, and she told me about it," Kelso replied with a cocky grin. Hyde rolled his eyes at his friend's idiocy.

Suddenly, they could all see Fez running up to them. His face betrayed a secret. "Guys, guess what?" the perverted foreigner shouted. When no one said anything, he continued. "Jackie quit the cheerleading squad!"

Hyde rolled his eyes. "Dude, we already knew that. Kelso told us." That made Fez mad. He turned to the pretty boy, his eyes angry.

"I wanted to tell them, you son of bitch!" Fez whined. Eric laughed while Hyde turned back to his food.

Kelso shrugged. "Sorry, man. You took too long." Fez frowned but was easily cheered up when Eric handed him a string of licorice.

Meanwhile, Jackie walked down the halls, thinking about the major decision she had made that morning. Quitting the squad hadn't been necessary, but Jackie didn't have the energy to keep cheering. It was also too time consuming. The dark-haired beauty didn't know how much time she had left, and she wanted to spend all of it with the people she cared about. She knew the reactions to that decision would be bad, but she had stopped caring what people thought of her a long time ago.

Jackie walked to the parking lot where, sure enough, the gang was all gathered by Hyde's car. The picture made her smile. Fez was eating candy while intently listening to Kelso's latest conquest story. Eric was babbling on about Star Wars to Hyde, who was off in his own world. The only thing missing was Donna rolling her eyes at her scrawny boyfriend's ramblings. Snapping out of her thoughts, Jackie walked up to the gang. She kissed Hyde and sat down next to him. The whole gang stared at her. The loud midget found this a bit unnerving. "What?" she shouted exasperatedly.

"The devil has seen the light," Eric joked lamely. Hyde fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he kept his focus on Jackie.

"Why did you quit the cheerleading squad?" Kelso came out and asked. The kettle head was never someone who knew how to use tact, or even what that was.

Jackie stared down at her shoes. She couldn't really tell them the real reason. The dark-haired midget racked her brain for a response. "Just got sick of it."

Clearly, none of the gang believed her, especially Hyde. He could usually read Jackie easily, but he was having trouble doing that at the moment. Hyde decided to bring it up later. Instead, he simply offered her his soda. Jackie graciously accepted it and took a sip.

Meanwhile, at Point Place Hospital, Kitty was going through the hospital's scrapbooks. The cancer ward was throwing their annual fundraiser, and someone wanted to put together a collage of pictures of patients they had helped. Kitty had volunteered to sort through the scrapbooks for pictures. She had found a few good ones when a certain page stopped her. It was a picture of a girl who couldn't have been more than ten years old laying in a hospital with no hair and a soft smile. The mother hen somehow recognized the smile. Looking more closely at the caption, she realized why. It was Jackie! Kitty couldn't help but wonder why Jackie had never told them she had leukemia. She decided to go down to the cafeteria to see if any of the nurses who worked in the cancer ward could tell her anything. Luckily, Bertha and Tammy were both there enjoying a coffee break. "Hello, Kitty!" both nurses greeted. Kitty smiled her signature smile.

"Hello Bertha, Tammy. I was wondered if you two could help me with something."

"Of course," Bertha answered kindly. "What do you need?"

"When was Jackie Burkhart a patient in your ward?" Kitty inquired softly. Bertha looked at Tammy.

"When she was five and ten," Tammy answered cautiously. "Why?" The nurse was very protective of the tiny brunette.

Kitty pulled out the picture and handed it to Tammy. "I found this in one of the scrapbooks." Her features immediately softened.

"My, I remember when Fiona took this photo. Jackie had been very sleepy that day. The chemo they had been giving her was very intense." Tammy stopped for a moment. "She was possibly one of the strongest little girls I have ever met. When she came in the first time, she was only five years old. Her parents were very distraught. It was clear they both loved their little girl. Of course, Jackie didn't mind the pain. She loved being in the hospital with all the other kids. 'It's like a vacation,' she would tell me. She was in and out of the hospital for six months before it got so bad she had to be put here permanently. This was very hard on her parents."

"But she overcame it," Kitty stated more as a question.

"Yes, but it had already done the damage on her family. When the cancer came back when she was ten, it was a whole lot worse. Neither parent was ever in the hospital. Jackie was admitted within the first two months. Her spirit was very low that time around. She felt abandoned, and the pain was really bad. Luckily, there was a volunteer, Fiona, who always seemed to make Jackie smile. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was the reason Jackie kept going the second time."

Kitty wiped away tears she hadn't even realized were there. "So the cancer's gone for good?"

Tammy stiffened. She knew Jackie didn't want anyone to know yet. "I have to get back to work." She got up and left, leaving Kitty to draw her own conclusions. The biggest one being that one of her basement babies was sick, and she couldn't do a thing to help.


	4. Chapter 4

\\** Hey! Sorry for the slow updates on all my stories. I've been super busy with softball practice, school, and preparing for my trip to DC, which will also keep me from updating for most of next week. Anyone else looking forward to summer? I know I am. I'll be able to update three stories a day in the summer. 25 days left for me not including weekends and all the days we have off. Woo-hoo! Quick question: in what season did Kelso knock Brooke up? I can't remember and would appreciate someone leaving a review or sending me a private message to tell me. Anyways, in this chapter, Donna sees a new side of Jackie. Hope you guys like it! Thanks for the reviews as always. I have amazing readers! *smiles sweetly* Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show, but I would in an alternative universe where fan fiction writers rule televisions. Ah, now doesn't that sound good?**

The week went by as quickly as it came. The gang hung out as usual, and Jackie continued to keep her secret. She suspected it was becoming more blatantly obvious, but she also knew none of her friends would recognize the symptoms of leukemia. Unfortunately, the tiny brunette didn't remember that Kitty Forman would. The mother hen watched over her worryingly over the course of the week. Kitty hated seeing Jackie suffer, but she wasn't going to say anything until the girl she had come to consider one of her children did. Of course, she didn't realize that Jackie would keep her secret until humanly possibly, despite prodding from Laurie.

Before they knew it, it was Friday night. Jackie went to the hospital straight from school. She brought her usual bag of surprise but wasn't prepared for the one she received, which was her red-headed best friend doing a newspaper article on young cancer patients.

It had all started Thursday. Donna had been at a school newspaper meeting drafting ideas with the staff. Remembering something Kitty had said about the cancer ward fundraiser, Donna causally mentioned doing a piece on the Point Place Hospital's cancer ward. Another staff member mentioned that she had a little brother who was a patient there. The editor had loved the idea, and she had put Donna on the story. Of course, the lumberjack didn't know anything about cancer or its young patients. She had managed to convince Kitty to get her a couple of minutes with a few of the children that Friday. Neither knew that was Jackie's volunteer night.

Donna walked through the hospital feeling a bit sad. The overall atmosphere was depressing, and she couldn't imagine being a kid stuck in here. Luckily, that did give her an angle for her article. It would be a pity peace on the young souls tramped in the cancer ward. Her thoughts were interrupted when two little boys flew past her in spinning chairs. Their carefree grins didn't match their frail bodies. The red-head held back her laughter as they crashed into a desk. The patients shook it off and kept going. Donna looked at the sign on the wall and saw that she was now in the cancer ward. There was a nurse wanting for her. She had big blonde hair and a soft smile.

"Hello, there," the nurse greeted warmly. "You must be Donna. I'm Bertha. I work mostly with the little ones. Kitty's told me great things about you."

Donna smiled. "That's nice to here. So, what rooms can I visit?" she flat out asked.

Bertha laughed. "Very eager, I see. Well, we're just wanting on the volunteer who's going to show you around. She's popular with the kids, so they'll react better to you with her around." Donna nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs, waiting.

After a few minutes, a familiar voice rang through the hallway. "Sorry I'm late! I had some last minute thing to get, and then I…" Donna looked up to see Jackie walking towards them, carrying a huge tote bag, looking flushed.

The red-head felt her jaw drop. "Jackie?" she asked incredulously. Donna had never thought of her best friend as the type to volunteer in a hospital with children, much less on a Friday night when she could be hanging out with her boyfriend.

"Hey," Jackie said awkwardly. She knew she was going to be showing some student journalist around, but she didn't know it was going to be Donna. This complicated things a bit. Still, the loud midget resolved to keep her secret safe.

"Since when do you volunteer here?" Donna questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll tell you later. We're going to be late." The formerly spoiled princess paused for a moment. "Here are some ground rules. First off, don't ask the kids questions about their cancer or their treatments or the pain. If you want to ask those questions, find a doctor. Secondly, don't stare. They hate being stared at. And lastly, don't talk to and treat them like they're sick."

Donna felt stupid. Now she didn't know what her story was even about. "Then what am I supposed to write about?" the lumberjack asked.

The words out of Jackie's mouth were so sincere that Donna had to do a double take to make sure it was her best friend saying them. "Just write about the kids, Donna. They're amazing. They all are so sick, but that doesn't slow them down. They're still full of life. The boys like to pull pranks on the nurses, and the girls love fairytales and dress-up. Cancer doesn't destroy a person. It destroys a person's body."

Jackie continued to impress Donna the rest of the night. The first room they went into, the little girl with brain cancer, who Donna learned was Wendy, greeted Jackie enthusiastically. Of course, like the red-head discovered many of the younger kids did, she pronounced it Jaxie. Surprisingly, this didn't bother the small cheerleader. She read Wendy a fairytale and painted the little girl's toe nails sparkly pink. She even convinced Donna to let Wendy attempt to braid her hair. It had ended up in knots, but it was worth it to see the little girl grin.

Donna was surprised at the affect Jackie had on all the children. It was like they instantly brightened the minute she walked into the room. The red-head could see why. The petite brunette listened to them when they talked, had a game ready if they wanted to play, or a story if they wanted to read. Even more impressive was the fact that she seemed to know each kid's individual interest. For Wendy, she brought fairytales and dress-up clothes. Randy and Tim got prank supplies and usually a bit of a lecture. Jackie read Spiderman comic books to Dylan and played action figures with Lionel. Olivia loved animals, so Jackie brought her stuffed animals and books on wildlife she found at the library. Rachel, Cynthia, and Morgan all had an obsession to disco music, so they had dance parties to the ABBA records Jackie brought with her. Ricky used to like to help his mom cook, so Jackie watched the cooking channel with him and then brought him the result of the recipe. Nathan, Harry, and Martin all loved sports, so Jackie tried to convince the doctors to let them outside to play basketball under her watch. Tiffany and Peyton both loved books, so Jackie brought them as much reading material as she could get her hands on.

The biggest shock of the day came when they visited Jackie's last room. It was Rachel's room. Of all the kids, Jackie felt the deepest connection to Rachel. The little girl was only ten years old and had a particularly bad case of leukemia. She was Jackie seven years ago except for the fact she had loving parents. Jackie was playing a new ABBA record for Rachel when the doctor and the little girl's parents came into the room. Knowing Rachel was asleep, the doctor explained to her parents that it might be a good time to cut off treatment and "enjoy the final moments of their daughter's life". Jackie kept quiet until the doctor left, glaring at him the entire way out. Once she was sure he was gone, Jackie turned to Rachel's parents. She knew they were kind people who would do whatever was best for their little girl.

"Don't listen to him," she instructed. "Rachel is a lot stronger than he thinks. She'll be able to fight it off. Just keep her in treatment." At that point, Donna was listening outside the door, having gone to get coffee for her and Jackie.

Rachel's dad eyed her suspiciously. "And how do you know? Are you a doctor? Because Dr. Strauss is one of the best cancer specialist in the state, and he thinks our little girl is done."

Jackie let out a sarcastic laugh. "According to the almighty Dr. Strauss, I should dead right now. But I'm not, and that's proof he can be wrong." She took a deep breath. "Look, I've known a lot of people with cancer. I've had five friends die of leukemia. I think I've become pretty good at knowing who will survive. Rachel has a lot of will, and she has a good support system. Those two things can give you a miracle." Donna had so many questions for Jackie at the moment, but she kept on listening.

Rachel's mother looked at her kindly. "And how do you know all of this?" she asked sweetly.

Jackie paused for a moment. "I used to be like your daughter. A lot like your daughter, actually. I used to be sick and scared of what was coming next." She stopped talking so that her voice wouldn't crack. "Of course, I didn't have half the love she does. I was alone in this huge hospital, and everyone thought I was going to die. Everyone gave up on me. Except for two people. My nurse and a volunteer both believed I could survive. And I did because them, and now I'm being for Rachel."

Donna stood there paralyzed. Jackie had had leukemia, and they never knew about it? How was this even possible? The lumberjack saw her best friend in a completely new light. She missed hearing the rest of the conversation, but it looked like it ended well. Jackie exited the room quietly. She saw Donna there and smiled. "Hey, what took you so long?" the loud midget inquired cheerfully. The red-head didn't know how Jackie could be so cheerful after the conversation she had just had.

"I got lost," Donna lied. Jackie didn't buy it but said nothing. The two girls walked through the hospital to the exit. Jackie dropped her bag opening the door, the contents going all over. The red-head got down to help her friend pick everything when she noticed a pill bottle. Donna picked up and looked at the label. They were painkillers. She looked up at her best friend worriedly. "Jackie, these are painkillers," she stated.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Great observation, Donna. Give me the bottle."

Donna ignored her comment. "What are they for?" she tried to ask calmly. She didn't want to believe the conclusion her mind had come to.

"Donna, just give me the damn painkillers!" Jackie pleaded. She was okay. She didn't need the lumberjack's pity. If Jackie was being honest with herself, she would realize that she did want to cry on Donna's shoulder as she had done so many times.

"What are they for, Jackie?" Donna asked again angrily and louder. She felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't want to lose Jackie. The gang couldn't lose their favorite midget.

"Leukemia!" Jackie shouted hoarsely, changing her life forever. The secret was out, and now everyone was going to be put to the test.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Super sorry I haven't updated anything in over a week! I was in Washington DC most of last week, and then I recuperated from the trip over the weekend. Fortunately, I'm back! *claps hands together happily* Thank you for all the reviews! Sorry that I haven't had the time to respond to them. I'll do that sometime this week. I know I left you guys on a cliffhanger, so hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Jackie's secret's out, and now the question is: who will Donna tell? *plays dramatic background music* You'll just have to read and see. Hope you guys like the chapter! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show, and any idiot who thinks I do should be wearing the stupid helmet. **

Donna stood there in shock. Surely, she hadn't heard Jackie right. The tiny brunette hadn't said leukemia. She couldn't have. Jackie didn't have leukemia. She was loud and dependable. Most importantly, she was strong. People like Jackie Burkhart didn't get leukemia. It just didn't happen. And yet, the lumberjack was watching her best friend cry softly with a bottle of painkillers in her hands. Clearly, this was real. She looked over at Jackie and started to notice the changes in the midget. The loud girl's normally olive toned skin was pale and sickly, and her whole frame seemed smaller that usual. Donna could also tell from the light bags around Jackie's eyes that her friend hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"How long?" Donna managed to choke out. She felt like they were in some twilight zone or something. Stuff like this didn't happen to people like them. Jackie didn't deserve this.

"I've known for about a week," Jackie confessed softly. She felt ashamed that she had hid it this long. It hadn't been an easy thing to do, but Jackie had been confused and in desperate need of more time. She needed more time to make sense of everything.

Donna felt her temper flare up. "You've known about this for a week, and you didn't even bother to tell us?" she shouted angrily. "This isn't something you hide from the people you care about, Jackie! We want to be there for you! That's what we do!" Despite the obvious anger in her friend's voice, Jackie smiled. Donna had snapped at her not out of genuine anger but concern. The redhead was mad because she was worried about the former rich girl. That fact alone made Jackie feel ten times better. She finally had people who loved her and were willing to fight with her. "I know," the crazy-eyed beauty whispered softly.

"Then why didn't you tell us?" Donna questioned desperately. She was trying to make sense of a situation that had no sense in it. She wanted to know what had been going on in Jackie's head.

Jackie thought about it for a moment before answering. "Because I was scared," the tiny brunette confessed in a rare moment of vulnerability. "I'm only seventeen, Donna. I don't want to die yet. I don't want to think about the cancer because I don't want to think about dying. I just want to think about living right now. And telling people I'm sick just makes me feel like I'm already dead."

Donna took all of this in. Seeing Jackie so scared frightened Donna. The loud midget was supposed to be an eternal optimist, the one person you could always turn to get perspective. Seeing her friend sick and upset gave the lumberjack a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. "How many times have you had leukemia?" Donna knew from her eavesdropping that Jackie had had the disease at least once before.

"Two times. Once when I was five, and once when I was ten. The doctor always said that there was a chance of it coming back. I just figured that after seven years I was okay," Jackie admitted calmly. Telling the stories of her childhood no longer upset her. She could state those fact like she was talking about the news. Jackie had let go of the bitterness that went along with those memories. It just had been a waste of her time. Her parents were never going to change, so why be sad about it?

Donna wiped away the tears she didn't even know had been falling. "Why didn't you ever tell us any of this?" she questioned curiously. The redhead was surprised she had never heard Jackie mention having cancer before.

Jackie took a deep breath and exhaled. "The first time I had leukemia, it wasn't that bad. I had it for about a year before it went away, and I only spent half that time stuck in the hospital. My parents were always around then, and I made a lot of friends in the ward." She smiled at the memories. "Then, when I was ten, the leukemia came back worse this time. I was admitted into the hospital full time within the first two months. I was all alone, and no one though I was going to make it. Luckily, I managed to pull through." The former cheerleader wiped away the tears on her cheek. "After that, I vowed never to look back again. What was done was done, and I tried to move on with my life. I thought that if I didn't acknowledge the past, it didn't exist." Jackie was full on sobbing now. Donna just led her friend outside to a bench and hugged her. The younger girl sobbed on the taller girl's shoulder.

Once Donna had calmed Jackie down, she looked at the dark-haired midget and asked, "When are you going to tell the gang?" Jackie looked down at her shoes. She didn't know how she was going to tell everyone. She wished there was a card or something that said, "Hey! I have leukemia", but there wasn't.

"I don't know," Jackie responded honestly. She didn't want to tell the gang. She could only imagine all their faces. Fez would cry, Kelso would look serious, and Hyde, well, she wasn't really sure how Hyde would react. Would his Zen cover up his emotions?

"You need to tell them," Donna stated. Jackie nodded. She knew what her friend was saying was true. She needed to tell everyone who cared about her, but somehow that sounded easier than it really was. The two girls just sat there and watched the sunset, trying to think of ways to break the news. When neither of them could think of anything, they headed to the basement. No time like the present.


	6. Chapter 6

** *****drumroll* Yes, ur not dreaming! This is a new update of Need A Little Faith and the return of reviewgirl911 to fanfiction! *claps excitedly* I'm not even going to bother explaining why I haven't updated anything in so long. Just be happy that I'm back. Anyways, in this chapter, Jackie finally tells the gang. *dramatic background music* How will they react? More importantly, how will Hyde react? Read and find out. I hope u guys enjoy this chapter! Disclaimer: Though it saddens my heart to say it, I do not own That '70s Show or any of its characters. *wipes away tear***

Eric, Hyde, Kelso, and Fez sat in the basement watching a glorious episode of Charlie's Angels without the irritating feminist rants it stirred up in Donna. Fez sighed in enjoyment. The three incredibly sexy ladies gave him needs. The foreigner jumped up out of his seat and ran towards the bathroom. All the other guys in the room groaned.

"Great," Eric complained. "Now we're going to have to bleach everything in that bathroom again."

Kelso spoke up. "Why don't we just set it on fire?" When the other two gave him a look, he explained, "Fire's supposed to clean stuff."

"Well, that's a great idea, Kelso," Eric said. The pretty boy grinned dumbly. "Except for the fact that it would burn the bathroom down!" the scrawny nerd shouted. Kelso frowned.

"Fine, Eric. Be that way," he huffed. Hyde rolled his eyes but said nothing. He was waiting for Jackie. She said she had a thing to do that night so she'd be late to the basement. The statement was far too vague for Hyde's liking. He had noticed tiny details about his girlfriend that were starting to scare him. Jackie's normally olive skin was paler, her frame smaller, and there were bags starting to form around her eyes. Hyde had asked Mrs. Forman what was wrong with Jackie, and the mother hen had only frowned and shook her head before excusing herself to go do laundry. Whatever it was, he had a hunch that Laurie knew. Hyde had seen the two former flames of Kelso's talking and whispering a lot when they thought no one was around. The newfound friendship between the two was just plain odd. Jackie hated Laurie and Laurie hated Jackie. Hyde suspected Laurie knew something about Jackie they didn't due to the way she'd been hanging around the basement smirking at them. The Zen master snapped out of his thoughts and headed upstairs to question Laurie, leaving Eric and Kelso to keep fighting over how to clean the bathroom.

Luckily, the slutty blonde was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine when he got upstairs. She smirked at him and said, "Hey, orphan, what's with you?" Hyde rolled his eyes.

"I need to talk to you," he stated. Laurie looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, can't, busy," Laurie answered before going back to her magazine. Hyde sighed. This was going to be hardier than he thought.

"It's about Jackie," he clarified. Laurie looked up at him once again, wary.

"What about her?" Laurie asked cautiously. She knew the tiny brunette hadn't told Hyde yet, and she also knew that the girl would rip her to shreds if she told him. Still, it was tempting. Laurie, after all her experiences with the opposite sex, could tell the burnout really did love Jackie, and she thought he deserved to know. For some reason the prodigal daughter couldn't figure out, Jackie seemed to think that the people who loved her wouldn't love her if they saw her imperfections. And yet, the midget still loved those people even though she knew they weren't perfect.

But before Hyde could ask what was wrong with Jackie, Jackie and Donna came in through the sliding door. Jackie ran over to her boyfriend.

"Steven!" she shouted. "I need to tell you something." All the eyes in the room were focused on her.

"You're finally going to tell him?" Laurie asked in shock. It had only taken the former cheerleader a week to build up the nerve to tell her boyfriend.

Donna looked over at Laurie. "Wait, you know?" Laurie looked over at Jackie.

"She knows?" the so-called devil asked, surprised.

"Knows what?" Hyde yelled in exasperation. Jackie looked around at the three, ready to answer all their questions, when she felt something caught in her throat. Unable to breathe, she ran towards the bathroom, followed by Donna, Hyde, and Laurie. She got to the sink and starting coughing. Surely enough, blood started to come up. The crazy-eyed beauty could barely hear her boyfriend call to Mrs. Forman for help. The yelling also got the rest of the gang's attention, and they all came upstairs. Eric went over to his girlfriend, wrapped his arm around her waist, and watched in horror as the girl he referred to as the devil coughed up blood. Mrs. Forman finally got there and headed right towards Jackie.

"Sweetheart, are you alright?" she asked gently, handing Jackie a tissue.

Jackie, now taking short breaths, wiped her mouth with the tissue and looked up. "Yeah,", she whispered, "I'll be okay."

Hyde came up to her and carefully pulled her close. "Jackie, what's wrong?" he begged, his voice laced with worry. His shades were off, and she could see concern in his captivating blue eyes. "Do you want to go to the hospital?"

Jackie shook her head. "Steven, everything's okay," she reassured him. "Going to the hospital wouldn't help anyway. They already gave me pain medication," she added carelessly.

"Pain medication for what?" Hyde questioned suspiciously.

Before Jackie could saw anything, Laurie blurted out, "Jackie has leukemia!" The blonde promptly clammed her mouth shut. The dark-haired pixie glared at her.

"Laurie, you better watch out because when I have enough energy, I'm going to kill you!" Jackie threatened. Surprisingly, Kelso and Fez were too shocked to try to encourage a naked chick fight. All eyes were wide and on Jackie, and for once she hated all the attention.

The first one to speak was Kelso. "You're sick! Since when?" he demanded to know. Kelso still loved Jackie but in the way you love a little sister. He'd be upset if anything happened to her.

Jackie hesitated before starting to tell her story. "They first found the cancer when I had just turned five. My mom brought me in for a check up because I was having trouble breathing. They ran some tests and found out I had leukemia. Six months later, I had to be admitted permanently so I could be monitored." At seeing everyone's sad expression, she backtracked. "But I didn't mind. I wasn't the only young kid in the cancer ward. I made a lot of friends. I still have some of them."

"And the others?" Fez asked stupidly.

"They died," Jackie replied, tears running down her cheeks at the memories of friends lost. She wiped them away and continued. "By the time the year was up, the cancer seemed to be in remission. They let me go home."

"Remission? What's that mean?" Donna asked.

"It means that there's no detectable signs or symptoms of cancer. The disease isn't active but it's still there," Jackie explained. "My doctor always told me there was a chance of it coming back."

"Your parents must have been happy," Laurie stated, not knowing the full story.

Jackie's face darkened. "They were until it came back." She felt Hyde's reassuring hand rub her back. "When I was ten, I started to feel the same symptoms but they were stronger. I went back to the doctor, and he found that the cancer was back and stronger. My parents were devastated. To them, this seemed like a death sentence for me. I was admitted within the first two months because the pain was unmanageable. They were never there."

"What happened?" Fez pressed on.

"I spent the year in the hospital being treated. Of course, everyone thought it was pointless and that I was an inch away from death. The only people who thought I would be okay were my nurse, Tammy, and a volunteer named Fiona. Thanks to them, I got better and left the hospital."

Everyone stood there in silence, taking in what Jackie had told them. It saddened them that their favorite midget had gone through all that and hadn't even told them about it. Mrs. Forman turned to Jackie.

"When do you start treatment?" the kind mother hen asked with a worried smile.

"I have an appointment on Monday. They're going to run some tests and then discuss possible treatment plans." Jackie paused. "Of course, I also have to try to get money from my grandmother to pay for it, but…"

"Oh honey, don't worry about money," Kitty interrupted. "You just focus on getting better. Red, Bob, and I will take care of it."

"No, Mrs. Forman, I couldn't ask you to do that…" Jackie protested. A look from the older lady silenced her.

"Jackie, you are part of this family, and we are more than happy to help," Mrs. Forman insisted.

"I'm going with you to that appointment," Hyde stated softly. Jackie smiled at him.

"Thanks, Puddin' Pop," she replied with a wide smile.

"Anything for you, doll," he murmured.

At that moment, Jackie wasn't sure what her future looked like, but she knew that she had a group of people that would love and support her through it all, and that was all that mattered.


	7. Chapter 7

** Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update, but I'm back now! *claps happily* Thanks for all the reviews and support! U guys rock! *give out imaginary cookies* This rlly short chapter is just going to be some Jackie/Hyde fluff with a pint of Jackie's past thrown in. Sorry about the length, but I promise the next one will be longer. I just didn't have any good ideas. Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. Never have, never will.**

Jackie woke up in Hyde's cot feeling dizzy and tired. She got up slowly and walked over to where her purse was. The tiny brunette dug through it until she found what she wanted. Jackie unscrewed the top of the pill bottle and carefully took two out. Hyde woke up just as she was leaving the room. He sat up, hair mussed and eyebrow raised. "Where are you going?" he questioned. Jackie held out her pills, and he nodded. "I'll get you some water."

"Steven, you don't have to," Jackie started to say but was cut off by the look her boyfriend gave her.

"Just let me help you a little," he pleaded gently. Jackie, knowing how rare these moments were with Hyde, nodded. He headed upstairs while she laid back down, closing her eyes. Jackie had to admit she was tired. If there was one thing she hated about leukemia more than it making her hair fall out was the fact that it sucked away all her energy. When Jackie thought of her childhood, she remembered being tired all the time. Luckily, she'd had friends that lifted her up. Some of them were still alive while others had passed away. Jackie remembered every single one of them. It was hard not to.

Meanwhile, Hyde was upstairs getting Jackie a glass of water and some toast. He figured it would be good for her to eat something. The Zenmaster wasn't familiar with leukemia, but he knew one thing. Jackie couldn't die. She just couldn't. If Jackie died, he would have nothing left to live for. She somehow filled his life and made it worth living. Plus, Jackie deserved life. She deserved to grow old and get married and have kids and everything else she had ever wanted. She didn't deserve to die at seventeen.

"Steven?" Hyde turned around to see Mrs. Forman standing in the kitchen in her bathrobe and curlers. It must've been earlier than he thought. "What are you doing up so early?" the mother hen asked worriedly. She knew Jackie's news had really thrown Steven for a loop. Still, Kitty had a feeling the two would be fine. Hyde loved Jackie more than he was willing to admit.

"Jackie needed water to take her, uh, medicine, and I figured it wouldn't hurt her to eat something," Hyde explained nervously. Kitty nodded understandingly.

"That's nice of you," she commented. Hyde looked down at his feet. There was a small pause before Kitty spoke again. "You know, Steven…"

"Why didn't she tell me?" Hyde whispered angrily. Kitty felt her heart go out to him.

"Well, in my experience, cancer patients who've recovered find it difficult to talk about their illness. It's almost like soldiers who go to war have a hard time talking about the fighting afterwards. Red could never tell me about his time in the service once it was over," she explained gently. Hyde nodded understandingly.

"So it's not that she didn't want me to know, it's just that she didn't want to talk about it," he stated. Kitty nodded.

"Exactly. Most cancer patients don't like talking about their cancer. Their motto is 'What's done is done'. And I'd bet anything that's why Jackie never said anything to you kids about being sick as a kid."

"Thanks, Mrs. Forman."

"No problem, sweetheart." Kitty smiled. Hyde headed downstairs with the water and the toast. He found Jackie asleep on his cot. Smiling to himself, he set down the glass and plate and laid down next to Jackie. Somehow sensing Hyde was there, Jackie snuggled closer to him. He put his arms around her waist, noticing how small his girlfriend had gotten since getting sick again.

"I love you," Hyde whispered.

Jackie's faint voice whispered back, "I love you too." And no matter what happened next, they'd still be in love. If only there were enough…


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! Always appreciated. *smiles* In this chapter, Jackie goes to her doctor's appointment and hears some grim news. How will she handle it? How will Hyde handle it? And what person from Jackie's past comes back? Read to find out! Disclaimer: I do not own That '70s Show. I would like to own Hyde though, *winks***

The weekend passed, and it was now Monday. Everyone wanted anxiously for Jackie to go to her doctor's appointment, especially Hyde. So on Monday morning; instead of going to school, she was driving to Point Place Hospital with Hyde and Mrs. Forman. Jackie rested her head on Hyde's shoulder and closed her eyes. Despite sleeping better than she had since the diagnosis, she still felt exhausted. Hyde just kissed her forehead and rubbed her back soothingly. For him, it hurt to see his doll this sick and tired. The Jackie they knew was so full of life that this Jackie just seemed wrong. Mrs. Forman just kept talking even though no one was responding. Rambling on was her way of dealing with things. Hyde and Jackie just listened as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Hyde shook Jackie's shoulder. She had fallen asleep during the short drive. "Doll, wake up," he whispered. Jackie stretched out and looked at him with tired eyes. He helped her out of the car. They walked into the hospital.

"Dr. Strauss is your doctor," Mrs. Forman informed the tiny brunette. Jackie groaned. The other two looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong? He's a good doctor, isn't he?" Hyde asked worriedly, looking over at Mrs. Forman.

"He's one of the best cancer specialists in the state," Mrs. Forman answered, not taking her eyes off of Jackie.

"We don't really have a great history," the midget confessed with a shrug. "He always tells me I'm going to die, and I always prove him wrong."

Hyde only nodded while Mrs. Forman looked more curious. The three made their way to the cancer ward. Many of the nurses and doctors waved to Jackie as she passed. She waved back with a smile. "It's like you're famous or something," Hyde whispered to her as they made their way through the wing.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "I practically grew up in this hospital. Even when I wasn't sick, I spent most of my time visiting friends who were. Everyone in this ward knows me."

"That's kind of sad if you think about it," Hyde stated. After seeing the look on his girlfriend's face, he elaborated. "That you spent so much time as a kid in the hospital."

The crazy-eyed beauty shrugged. "I wouldn't recommend it, but it worked for me. The hospital was always better than home. The people in the hospital loved me." Hyde heard the lingering sentence in the air. 'And my parents didn't'.' It was something he was all too familiar with.

Finally, they made it to the room. A large, African American nurse was waiting for them. She smiled when she saw Jackie. "Knew we couldn't get rid of you," she joked with a smile.

"Nice to see you too, Patricia," Jackie replied with a laugh. "How are your grandchildren? Did Cindy learn how to ride her bike?"

"Yep, she even took the training wheels off," the nurse stated proudly.

"Good for her," Jackie responded. Patricia handed her the hospital gown, and Jackie slipped her clothes off and put the gown on, still talking. Mrs. Forman and Hyde watched the exchange in amazement. They did this like it was nothing at all. Jackie was ready for the doctor to come in.

"Don't antagonize him today," Patricia advised Jackie with a sly smile. "He nearly broke his office door after you talked to Rachel's parents.

"Fine," Jackie grudgingly agreed.

"He'll be in here in a moment," the nurse told them before leaving the room. Hyde and Mrs. Forman looked at Jackie.

"What's with you and this doctor?" Hyde asked curiously.

"He's wrong a lot," Jackie answered angrily. "He takes one look at a patient and marks them for the grave before even getting to know them."

Sensing it was a sensitive subject for Jackie, neither of them said anything, resolving to bring it up another day. Dr. Strauss walked in.

"Good morning," he said charmingly. Jackie rolled her eyes.

"Cut the crap, please," she requested sharply. Dr. Strauss nodded.

"Your cancer was in remission, but now it is recurrent. We'll schedule chemo twice a week for you and continue on the pain-killer regime. I'm also going to put you on the list for a bone marrow transplant."

"What's that?" Hyde asked.

"Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside bones. These blood cells include white blood cells which fight infection, red blood cells which carry oxygen to and remove waste products from organs and tissues, and platelets which enable the blood to dot. In patients with leukemia, the stem cells in the bone marrow malfunction, producing an excessive number of defective or immature blood cells. The immature or defective blood cells interfere with the production of normal blood cells, accumulate in the bloodstream and may invade other tissues. Large doses of chemotherapy are required to destroy the abnormal stem cells and abnormal blood cells. These therapies, however, not only kill the abnormal cells but can destroy normal cells found in the bone marrow as well. A bone marrow transplant enables us to treat these diseases with aggressive chemotherapy by allowing replacement of the diseased or damaged bone marrow after the chemotherapy/radiation treatment," Dr. Strauss explained. Hyde looked over at Jackie. She gave him a look that said, 'I'll explain later. All he got from that explanation was that Jackie needed some kind of a transplant.

The doctor talked over other details before letting them go. Hyde sighed. That had been one of the most stressful experiences of his life, but at least he now knew what his doll was up against. The drive back to the Formans was silence. Mrs. Forman headed into the house with the couple following them. As they entered the kitchen, Jackie saw a women sitting at the table talking to Red. After seeing the women's face, her face was consumed with a huge smile. "Fiona!" she shouted happily, running to hug the women. Fiona caught her and held her tight.

"Hey, Supergirl," she whispered into the small girl's ear. "Miss me?" Hyde and Mrs. Forman looked at each other. Who was this?


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update this. I haven't really been in a writing mood lately, but now I'm back! *cheers* So now more of Jackie's past makes an appearance and the gang really sees how the leukemia is affecting their favorite midget. Reviews are always appreciated! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show, but I totally think I should. Just saying.**

Hyde and the Formans watched the interaction with curiosity. Jackie was still too surprised to give them any explanations. Fiona fingered Jackie's long black hair with a laugh. "I see you still haven't cut it," the kind looking women commented. Jackie smiled.

"I tried, but I just couldn't do it. I like my hair long," the tiny brunette confessed with a sheepish smile.

"Why won't you cut your hair?" Kitty asked softly and both Jackie and Fiona turned and looked at her.

"When I was little, I started to lose my hair during chemo treatments. Eventually, they decided to just shave the rest off. I cried, and to make me feel better, Fiona promised me that when I got better I would never have to cut my hair again," Jackie explained.

"Of course, I never thought she'd take me seriously, but that's Jackie. You can never back out of a promise with her."

"So where are you coming from?" Kitty asked kindly.

"California," Fiona answered with a smile. "I moved out there a few years back to be closer to my daughter, but then Jackie called me and I knew it was time to come home.

"I didn't say you had to come straight away," Jackie mumbled embarrassingly. Fiona gave her a stern look.

"If your pain level was as high as you told me the other night, it's a good thing I came," she lectured the normally loud midget.

"Pain level?" Hyde asked worriedly. Jackie looked down at her feet, feeling four sets of eyes on her.

"To monitor the pain and see how the treatment is working, we usually ask about a pain level. One is no pain and ten is excoriating pain. When Jackie called me, she told me her pain level was almost an eight," Fiona explained.

"When did she call you?" Red asked sharply. The loud one was his favorite after all, and he was worried about her.

"A week or two ago," Fiona replied. "It took me a little while to get things in order for me to stay."

"You're staying?" Jackie asked hopefully.

"I'm staying," Fiona confirmed. Jackie hugged her tightly. "Besides, I have to try and fatten you up while I'm here," she said with a hearty laugh.

"I've been trying to do that too!" Kitty shouted excitedly. "The weight just falls off of her."

"Probably because of her weak immune system. Jackie lost a lot of weight during treatment the second time and caught a nasty case of pneumonia that compromised her immune system." Fiona turned to glance at the little girl she'd practically raised. "Of course, she wouldn't have gotten the pneumonia if she hadn't gone out in the rain," the older woman lectured.

"Why would you go outside in the rain?" Hyde asked curiously. It didn't really sound like something Jackie would do.

"It was a huge storm," Jackie answered softly. "We wanted to see the lightening." That seemed to silence everyone in the room. It made Kitty so sad that the little girl had gotten sick just because she wanted to see lighting.

"And why would you want to see lighting?" Red asked gruffly. Something about the story didn't seem complete to him.

"One of the nurses told us that if we saw lightening struck, it would be good luck. A lot of us wanted the good luck. I thought my chances were better if I went outside," Jackie explained quietly. Fiona looked at her watch.

"Well, I've got to go unpack my apartment and set up your room," Fiona stated casually. Jackie's face broke out into a huge grin.

"I'm going to stay with you?" she asked excitedly.

Fiona nodded. "Of course, Supergirl. Someone has to take care of you."

A thought just occurred to Hyde. "Why do you call her Supergirl?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She was the bravest little girl any of us had ever seen. She didn't complain or throw tantrums or even cry. One of the nurses gave her the nickname the first time she was in the hospital, and it stuck. That's just what everybody calls her now," Fiona lied, keeping her eyes on Jackie. That was partially true, but the graying hippie had a feeling the tiny girl didn't want her new boyfriend to know the exact creator of that nickname.

And then Jackie went to Donna's to sleep and Fiona left. A few days later, everyone minus Jackie was hanging out in the basement. Fez and Kelso were arguing over something stupid while Laurie read a magazine and Donna and Eric watched TV. Hyde's eyes were firmly placed on the door. Jackie's first chemo treatment was that day, and she had insisted he go to the basement instead of coming with her. Jackie had moved in with Fiona in an apartment not too far away, but she still stayed with Donna and Bob three times a week. The fragile beauty insisted it was because the redhead would start to miss her too much if she didn't stay over, but Hyde knew it was because she simply didn't have the energy to drive or walk home after hanging out in the basement. Slowly but surely, Jackie's energy was being drained away. Of course, she tried not to let that show, but they could all tell. No one wanted to acknowledge it. The thought of Jackie being gone or even just not Jackie was scary for anyone of them to think about.

After an hour of waiting, Jackie entered the basement. Hyde noticed that despite her jacket, hat, and gloves, she was shivering. Eric somehow got the hint and grabbed a blanket from somewhere, tossing it to Hyde. Jackie, her thoughts still at the hospital, noticed that she was having double vision. Trying not to let it show, she cautiously tried to make her way to the couch. Donna noticed the awkward way her friend was walking and looked up.

"Jackie, you need help?" she asked worriedly. The former cheerleader shook her head.

"I'm fine," Jackie insisted. She took one step forward and lost balance. Laurie and Donna rushed over to help her up. They got her to the couch. Hyde and Eric layered blankets over her freezing frame while Kelso and Fez kept her entertained by telling her funny stories. Jackie smiled softly. She had such good friends. She only hoped she'd live to return the favor. It was easy to get hopeless. So many of her friends had died. Names and faces flashed through her memory, some more prominent than others. There was one in particular that made her heart break, but that was a whole other story.

The gang exchanged looks as Jackie rested. Despite what she said, their favorite midget was not doing okay. So, quietly as to not wake Jackie up, they all took an oath to stand by the dark-haired beauty no matter what she said to them. They couldn't lose Jackie. They just couldn't.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Holidays give me writer's block. So in this chapter, Jackie has a nightmare and more of her past is revealed. Disclaimer: I'm tired. Insert standard disclaimer here. **

Jackie twisted and turned in her bed at Fiona's, a million thoughts running through her head. Memories of her childhood plagued her as she kicked away her sheets. She watched as a five-year old version of her was chased around the hospital by a six-year old James.

_*Flashback*_

_ "You can't catch me!" Jackie taunted as she dodged James's arm trying to grab her. She laughed. It felt so good to be out of her hospital bed. James, restless and bored as per usual, had helped her escape from her room and then challenged her to a race. Never afraid of a challenge, Jackie had accepted, and the two had been chasing each other around the cancer wing while trying to hide from the nurses at the same time. They weren't supposed to be out of their rooms or even running around for that matter, but Jackie and James had never been kids who listened. The two had bonded the first week Jackie had been in the hospital. James had found out there was a girl around his age in the room next door, and so he immediately paid Jackie a visit. For the first time in a while, Jackie laughed again. Chemo and all her other treatments brought her down, and James brought her back up. He also had a cancer that was likely to kill him: brain cancer. Despite that, the two friends, along with the rest of the kids in the wing, tried to be normal kids, one who laughed and ran and played._

_ "Just watch me!" James shouted back. She tried to run faster, but then she got dizzy and slipped. James noticed right on time, and he slid forward and caught her. Jackie, still somewhat dizzy, kissed him shyly on the cheek._

_ "You win," she whispered. James just smiled and rubbed her back._

_ "Cancer inferred. I want a rematch," he insisted, making Jackie smile at the ridiculous look on his face. James could always make her smile._

Jackie woke up with a start, coughing up blood and shaking wildly. She kept hoarsely shouting out the same name over and over again. It had been so long since she'd seen James's face in her dreams or even just thought about him. She felt helpless, so small.

Fiona, a light sleeper to begin with, heard a commotion coming from the room next to her and got up as quickly as she could. She opened the door and was horrified at the sight she saw. Jackie was coughing up blood and shaking hysterically, repeating the same thing over and over again in between coughs. There was blood everywhere. Fiona rushed over to the tiny brunette and helped her up. She gently guided Jackie to the bathroom, where the tiny brunette sat on the toilet seat while she tried to clean her up. Fiona gently pulled off Jackie's shirt over her head and soaked it in the sink. She then started to clean the blood off of Jackie. The loud midget was still coughing regularly, but there wasn't any more blood coming out. Jackie just sat there in shock as the older woman took care of her. "James," she whispered shakily.

"What sweetie?" Fiona asked gently. Jackie was starting to scare her, and not just because of the coughing.

"James," the tiny brunette repeated louder. Fiona's eyes bugged out. She put a hand to Jackie's forehead. The small girl was burning up.

` "We need to get you to the hospital," the aging hippie stated firmly. Ignoring Jackie's protests, she picked her up and carried her to the car. After putting a blanket around Jackie, Fiona ran back inside the apartment to make a quick phone call. Luckily, the person on the other end answered on the first ring. "Hey, Kitty, I'm taking Jackie to the hospital because she started running a fever and coughing up blood everywhere, and I just wanted to call you and let you know what was going on before we left." Fiona nodded, listening to the mother hen on the other end. "Okay then, see you soon." She hung up the phone and ran to the car, driving as fast as she could to get to the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, Jackie was checked in and the basement gang was assembled in the waiting room. Hyde was pacing back and forth worriedly, his signature shades on but his emotions still evident. Donna was sitting with Eric trying to reassure her with very little success. Laurie and Kelso, clothes on both askew, shared a rare look of seriousness. Fez just was rocking back and forth like a worried child. Kitty was talking a mile a minute to a crying Bob while Red was snapping more than usual. "Will you sit down and stay still, dumbass!" he barked at Hyde, who despite his anxiety listened to his father figure. Kitty turned and gave Red a look. "Sorry, Steven," Red apologized meekly under the fury of his wife.

Finally, Fiona returned. Everyone looked at her anxiously. "The doctor said she can have visitors now, but only for a few minutes," she announced. There was a stampede to Jackie's room, and the people in the hospital could hear a "Out of my way, dumbasses!"

The sight in Jackie's room wasn't one any of them expected. Jackie was twisting back and forth in her bed, murmuring things none of them could make out. Sweat was visible on her face, and her skin looked too pale. Her eyes seemed half-focused, and she barely noticed them walk into the room. Once she registered their presence, however, Jackie looked at Fiona and said, "James." When this got no response out of the older woman, she added, "I want to see James."

Fiona sighed. Jackie was delirious from her fever. "Sweetie, you can't see James."

"Why not?" the tiny brunette demanded, a cough shaking her whole body. Donna seemed to be holding back sobs while Hyde's fists were turning white. This was painful.

"James is dead, Jackie. He's been gone two years," the mother figure explained gently, not wanting to upset the fragile girl. James's death had hit Jackie unbelievably hard, and she was thankful that she had found the basement gang not too long after that.

Jackie shook her head. "No," she protested. "I just saw him. He was chasing me, and I said he couldn't catch me and he said he could and then I got dizzy and fell and he caught me. I kissed him on the cheek and said he won, but he insisted on a rematch."

Fiona, realizing that Jackie had seen James in her dreams that had been memories, smiled. "Try to sleep, Supergirl. Maybe you'll see him again there." Jackie nodded and closed her eyes, allowing the medications given to her to do their job.

The whole gang looked at Fiona in confusion. "Who's James?" Hyde demanded. He wanted to know who this guy was that Jackie had such a great desire to see.

"James was Jackie's best friend. They met in this ward. Their rooms were right next door both times, and they were partners in crime. She really loved him," Fiona explained with a sad smile. She had loved James and not only because of th happiness he managed to bring Jackie.

"What happened to him?" Donna asked softly.

"He had brain cancer. It came back when Jackie was fourteen and he was fifteen, but the doctors didn't catch it early enough. It took nine months for him to die, and Jackie watched all of it."

"But why?" Hyde pressed on. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to watch their friend die.

"Because she loved him," Fiona answered simply. "She didn't want him to die alone." She looked at the clock and realized they had to leave. "We have to go. Visiting hours are over," she stated, leading the gang out of Jackie's room. Everyone headed over to the Forman's because there was a lot of thinking to do and that was the only place any of them wanted to do it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update this. I've been recovering from finals and a brutal basketball practice. So in this chapter, the gang learns more about Jackie, her fate, and her past. Thanks for ur patience! **

Everyone sat in the Formans' kitchen, silently eating cookies and pondering the fate of their favorite midget. Finally, Fiona spoke up. "Jackie will be okay," she reassured them. "She's always okay in the end. In fact, that's what worries me the most."

"What do you mean?" Donna asked in confusion. That sounded like a good thing to her, but the way Fiona said it didn't seem that way.

"Most cancer patients have a hard time bouncing back from their illness. Jackie has bounced back twice, and once she was at the brink of death. Most kids have to take it slow afterwards, but Jackie always threw herself headfirst into things. She said that she wasn't going to live a sheltered life just because she was afraid of the leukemia," Fiona explained. "I'm just afraid that one day she won't bounce back as easily as she has before, and it will destroy her."

Hyde sat there deep in thought. Jackie's hallucination about that James dude was still bugging him. Who was this guy? How much had Jackie loved him? How come they had never heard about him before? "Tell us about James," he requested, eyes focused into Fiona's. Of all the people there, he and Fiona cared about Jackie the most, and he had a feeling she'd give him some answers.

Fiona nodded reluctantly. "Fine," she said. "But Jackie can never know I told you any of this."

"Why?" Kelso asked not so dumbly. Why would Jackie care if they knew about her dead boyfriend?

"Because she's worked hard to try to forget him and make a new life for herself," Fiona replied. "James's death destroyed her."

"Destroyed her?" Red repeated skeptically. "But Jackie's just a young girl. How could anything really destroy her?"

Fiona looked at the usually gruff man sadly. "Sadly, it did. You have to understand something. James was Jackie's best friend since she was five years old. They had rooms right next door to each other and were instant friends. James's parents loved Jackie, and Jackie's parents loved James so the two were allowed to play together was much as they liked." She smiled wistfully and took a picture out of her bag.

The photo showed two young children, a boy and a girl. The girl had short, dark hair and mismatched eyes that were striking despite her sickly looking skin. She was holding hands with a slightly older and taller dark-haired boy with warm hazel eyes who was laughing. "This is them the first few weeks in the hospital while they still had hair."

"No wonder Jackie's so possessive of her hair," Donna mumbled, recalling all the times Jackie had ranted about proper hair care. At least now she knew why. The redhead, though not nearly as vain as the dark-haired beauty, still would be sad if all her hair fell off.

Fiona nodded. "They always had to fight her to cut the rest of it off once large chunks had fallen out. She would cry until James came into the room and made her laugh with stories of how they could pass as aliens and make millions of dollars. He could always make her laugh. One time, he even organized a crazy hat/wig week for all the kids in the ward. It was hilarious. You couldn't take a step anywhere in the ward without seeing a kid with a weird hat or bright hair." She pulled out another picture, and in it were about twenty kids in odd hats and brightly colored wings. Jackie had a neon blue wig on with a pink bow while James was sporting a pirate's hat with an eye patch.

"How many of these kids are still alive?" Kitty asked softly. Fiona looked at the photo for a moment before answering.

"Ten," she responded. "Two died that year: Farrah and Lance. Farrah had bladder cancer, which is very unusual in children, and Lance died of bronchial tumors that weren't caught quickly enough."

"How do you remember that?" Laurie asked in amazement. She could barely remember the names of the guys she slept with, and this woman remembered the names and diseases of kids that had died over ten years ago.

"I remember every name of every kid I've ever worked with," Fiona replied seriously. "Working with these kids changes you. They leave an imprint on your heart."

"Is that why you came back for Jackie?" Hyde asked casually.

Fiona shook her head. "No, that's not why. I think of Jackie as my own daughter, and she needed someone watching out for her, someone she can trust. She needs a parent." She stopped for a moment before continuing. "Jackie's parents have made many mistakes with her, but I don't think they're bad people."

"But they abandoned my goddess!" Fez protested indignantly.

"Yes, they did, but I don't believe it was out of cruelty," Fiona answered. "When I first met the Burkharts, they were wonderful people. Pam spent all day at the hospital with Jackie, and Jack was there the minute he got out of work with stories and a present. They loved her."

"So what happened?" Donna asked, feeling her heartstring being tugged.

"Jackie relapsed when she was ten, and the doctors marked her for death. Her parents couldn't stand the thought of losing her; it drove them nuts. Pam started to drink, Jack worked more than ever, and Jackie was left all alone at the hospital. The only adults she had were Tammy and me."

Fiona looked at her watch. "Well, I think it's time to go visit Jackie, don't you think? I know she'll want to see all of you when she wakes up."

Everyone nodded but was unable to move; still shell-shocked by the story they were just told. Finally, Red stood up. "Let's go, dumbasses!" he shouted intimidatingly. All the kids got up and ran out of the door. Red smirked. Even in times of crisis, he still had it. Now he had to go to the hospital and make sure the dumbass doctors were taking good care of his favorite. After all, he couldn't lose the only one of the dumbasses that could hold a flashlight.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! My fanfiction account has been acting up, but I'm back now. *cheers* In this chapter, Jackie gets some unexpected guest. What faces will appear? Read on to see! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. I'm just an overworked, under-appreciated high school student.**

Jackie sat in her hospital bed reading a magazine. She was feeling a little bit better but not by much. She felt like curling up in a ball and sleeping forever. Her throat still stung, but at least she wasn't coughing off blood. The tiny brunette didn't mind the pain. She didn't mind the treatment. If there was one thing she hated about the leukemia, it was the pity. She hated the pity that came with being sick, hated the pity looks and smiles she would get from people. She hated being treated like a glass doll that was about to break. It was the reason she hadn't told the gang at first. Jackie wanted to keep being Jackie, not that sick girl. Being the sick girl always sucked.

She fingered the plastic tiara on her headed lightly. Wendy had given it to her earlier that morning. All her kids had come and visited her. Jackie had a tiny pile of gifts sitting on her bedside table. In addition to the sparkly pink tiara sitting on her head, she had a whoopee cushion from Randy and Tim, a Superman comic from Dylan, a GI Joe figure from Lionel, a stuffed pig from Olivia, a disco ball from Rachel, Cynthia, and Morgan, a cupcake from Ricky, a small squishy ball from Nathan, Harry, and Martin, and a small book of poems from Tiffany and Peyton. These gifts weren't anything big or flashy, but the loud midget considered them to be little treasures because her kids had given them to her.

"Wow, Supergirl, that's a good look for you," a voice stated with sarcasm. Jackie turned around to see two of her oldest friends standing by the door. Sky's blonde hair was glowing, the wild curls healthy and full. Her skin was tan, off-set by the white dress and jean jacket she was wearing. Her navy blue eyes sparkled with laughter. She looked nothing like the sick fourteen year old she had been four years ago. Pete stood next to her. He was fit and healthy, his light brown hair thick and slightly longer than the last time she had seen him. His forest green eyes shined with the same laughter that was in Sky's. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Thanks," Jackie replied with a smirk. "I'm thinking of starting a trend."

"Definitely," Sky agreed with a laugh. "It will be the hit of the fashion world."

Jackie felt herself relax for the first time in a while. It helped her to know two of her close friends were happy and healthy. Ultimately, that was what she wanted for everyone she cared about. What she wanted for herself. "So, what have I done to be honored with your presence?"

Sky gave her a look of disbelief. "And miss the party going on here?" she asked jokingly. "Never."

"I'm sure you have better things to do," Jackie argued with raised eyebrows. Sky and Pete exchanged a look. It was good to know that Jackie was as stubborn as ever, leukemia or not. They had been worried when James died. The two had been attached at the hip to the point where you couldn't imagine one without the other. Jackie had been remarkably strong during the last year of James's life, but she completely lost it after her funerals. Sky would never forget holding her tiny friend while she sobbed, feeling the absolute misery radiating off her.

"Nothing that can't wait," Pete reassured her, pulling up two chairs. "Besides, we have some catching up to do." Both he and Sky sat down and began talking with their oldest, closest friend.

Two hours later, the basement gang and Fiona were walking towards Jackie's room. Everyone stopped at the door when they heard laughter. Fiona hesitantly stepped into the room and then motioned for the others to follow her. What they saw was surprising. A striking blonde and a buff brown-haired guy sat in new chairs by Jackie's bed. None of them noticed the new people entering the room. The blonde was in the middle of telling a story, waving her hands wildly. The guy watched in amusement while Jackie laughed. There was a lightness to Jackie they had never seen before, like someone had lifted a terrible burden off her shoulders.

Mid-laugh, Jackie noticed the basement gang come in. Sky and Pete turned around as well. Sky broke the silence. "Come on in," she proclaimed. "Join the party!" No one laughed. "Wow, tough crowd," she loudly whispered to Jackie, who smiled.

"They're not like us," the tiny brunette reminded her friend. Sky shrugged in response. Jackie turned to her friends. "Guys, this is Sky, and that's Pete. They're friends of mine for some unknown reason."

Sky fake-gapsed. "Ouch, Jackie, that hurt," she pouted playfully. Her eyes studied the group carefully. "Which one of you is the boyfriend?"

Hyde stepped forward. "That would be me," he answered. Sky studied him up and down for a minute before turning to Jackie.

"-A," she announced.

"-A?" Jackie questioned, knowing her friend's fondness for bad boys.

"A girl is never allowed to rate another guy equal to her guy," Sky responded as if it was some rule the dark-haired beauty should know about. "It breaks the code." She turned to Hyde and narrowed her eyes. "You hurt her, and I come to your house in the middle of the night and cut out your penis," Sky stated calmly.

"Sky!" Jackie shouted, a blush creeping up on her cheeks.

Sky continued. "And then I'll make sure you're on put on some kind of douchey-boyfriend list. Oh, and then Pete will beat you up. Right, babe?"

Pete nodded in approval. "Damn straight," he replied.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "John Wayne?"

"Naturally."

The rest of the visiting hours were spent telling old stories and laughing. The friends were happy to be reunited, and it clearly showed. Hyde breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she had them, she would be okay. As long as she had friends there, she wouldn't slip away. Hopefully…


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been having a bit of a mental breakdown, but I'm a lot better now. Thanks for all the reviews! So, in this chapter, Sky and Pete tell the gang about their childhood was Jackie, and the tiny girl's health takes a turn for the worse yet again. Read on! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. Get it through your heads!**

Sky closed the door to Jackie's room and let out a huge sigh. Pete rubbed her shoulders reassuringly and planted a small kiss there. "Don't worry," he comforted her. "Jackie will be fine. She's always fine." This didn't seem to comfort her.

"She always acts like she's fine," Sky corrected her boyfriend. "That's part of the problem."

"What problem?" Donna asked, starting to get worried by the way Jackie's two friends were talking.

"Jackie tends to push all her bad feelings away," Sky explained. "If it's not there, she doesn't have to deal with it."

This stunned the basement gang. They had never thought about how Jackie acted or why her attitude was the way it was. They had always just assumed she was a loud, annoying, bitchy girl without a care in the world. It had never occurred to them that she had things in her past she wanted to forget, things that she couldn't forget. They would've never guessed there was damage under the bright exterior of their favorite midget. At that moment, everyone felt a tiny bit of shame for not noticing earlier.

Fiona, noticing the tired eyes on two of her former patients, interrupted the quiet moment. "Let's go back to my apartment. I'll make coffee." Sky nodded tiredly, letting her boyfriend take her hand and guide her out of the hospital. Everyone followed Fiona to her apartment.

The basement gang, having never been in Fiona's apartment before, were struck by all the photos around the small space. There were picture in every nook and cranny of the space. Faces of all kinds of different people and places covered the apartment. Sky and Pete smiled fondly. Fiona had always had a thing for photography. She loved pictures, always taking snapshots of them at the hospital. It was something she had passed on to James, who loved photography as well. It wasn't uncommon to see the dark-haired boy running around the hospital with a camera, snapping shots of everyone. His favorite model, of course, was Jackie.

Sky fingered a picture of her, Pete, and Jackie gently. It had been taken the last time they had been in town for James's funeral. They had ended up staying a few weeks to try to glue their friend back together. In that particular picture, the three of them were playing cards. Sky was laughing, her eyes sparkling at a joke she couldn't remember. Pete was looking down at his cards, a nervous expression on his face as if he knew he was going to lose, which he was. Pete was a notoriously bad card player, and the two girls always gained up against him. Jackie was peering out at them from over her cards, a sly smile on her face. Sky knew why Fiona had taken this photo and kept it in sight. It was to remind Jackie that she could smile after James died.

Everyone sat down, the basement gang a bit more awkwardly than Sky and Pete did. For them, there was no weirdness in getting comfortable in Fiona's house. It was one of those things that became habit after being so close to someone for so long. Hell, Sky was more comfortable in Fiona's apartment than her own childhood home. She felt like being sick so young and so much had taken something away from her relationship with her parents. Having a kid with cancer could be rough, and it was hard to be at the hospital all the time. Fiona was the one they could always count on. Fiona was always there.

Sky turned to the long-determined mother of the ward. "How's she doing?" Fiona started to talk doctor-talk, but the blonde cut her off. "No, I mean how is she. If I wanted to know about the cancer, I'd let Dr. Strauss go on and on about how Jackie's really gonna be a goner this time." The joke earned an appreciative chuckle from her boyfriend but not much reaction from the others. Geez, these people had no sense of humor.

Fiona sighed. "I think she's doing okay." The older woman paused for a moment. "She's still going to see the kids every Friday. They adore her."

Pete rolled his eyes. "Of course they do. She's Jackie. Everyone loves Supergirl."

Donna spoke up. "Was Jackie really that popular in the hospital?" she asked timidly. Sky gave her a sad smile.

"Yeah, she was," the beautiful girl answered. "Jackie was unique. In a place full of people about to die, she was so full of life and love for anyone. She and James could make anyone laugh."

"Hey, do you remember that time they tapped the door to the nurse's lounge shut?" Pete piped in, laughter rolling of him. The rest of the room listened, enraptured by the tales of these seemingly normal kids causing havoc around a hospital. Donna thought back to what Jackie had told her weeks ago before any of this had started. "Cancer doesn't kill you. It kill your body." The redhead was starting to see the tiny brunette's point. Maybe Jackie was strong enough to get through this. Maybe Jackie would be able to fight it out. Maybe…

Hyde was having similar thoughts while listening to this story, but there was a feeling of guilt hanging over him. He had always assumed his girlfriend was shallow and bossy, had always assumed she just was the way she was. He had never thought she might push for a future because she didn't know how long she'd live to see it. He never thought she put so much effort into trivial things like her hair because she knew what it was like to be without it. Steven Hyde had underestimated his girlfriend, and for the first time in years, the Zen master felt a twinge of guilt seep through his body. If Jackie survived, he would marry her. If Jackie lived, he would give her the world and anything else she asked for. If she lived…


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Now I'm back *cheers* So now Jackie goes home, but her disease is taking its toll. Read on for more! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. I'm just a student in a Intro to Theology class listening to different tortures. Sound fun, right?**

Jackie woke up in the middle of the night coughing up blood. She kept trying to catch her breathe but couldn't. Still, she didn't want to call for help. She could handle the pain. Jackie tried to take deep breaths, but she kept chocking. It was moments like this when she just wanted to die. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up and see James laughing and smiling at her. She wanted him to run his hands through her hair and kiss her in the soft gentle way he always did. She wanted to see all her friends smiling and healthy like they never had on Earth. Her mind flashed back to a conversation she once had with James.

_*flashback* _

_ A ten-year old Jackie laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling. She sighed. She wish she didn't have to be here. She wished she wasn't sick. She wished, only in the secret of darkness, that she could just die._

_ "Jackie?" a rough voice whispered. Jackie turned around to see James making his way to her bed._

_ "James?" Jackie whispered back. "What are you doing?" she asked softly. He simply motioned for her to move over, which she did. Jackie could never say no to James. He made himself comfortable while Jackie continued to stare at the ceiling. _

_ "Whatcha looking at?" he questioned fondly. _

_ "The ceiling," Jackie sighed. "I wish I could see the stars." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "What do you think will happen to us when we die."_

_ James studied her face. "Why do you want to know?"_

_ Jackie shrugged. "I don't know. Don't you ever wonder about it?" She lifted her head open and looked into James's brown eyes. She loved those eyes._

_ "No," he responded softly. "I want to focus on the time I'll be here rather than when I'll be gone."_

_ The two were silent for a little bit. The great thing about their friendship was that it didn't always need word. Both of them knew what the other was thinking. Finally, Jackie spoke up. "I want to be an angel," she whispered. "A really pretty angel with golden wings. Then I'll be able to watch everybody when I'm gone."_

_ James kissed her forehead. "Please don't be an angel for a while," he pleaded gently._

_ Jackie nodded. "Will you be an angel?" she asked, stroking his cheek._

_ James smiled his signature crooked grin at her. "If you're an angel, I'm an angel," he stated. The two friends fell asleep and dreamed of heaven and beautiful angels that came down and watched over them while they slept. _

Jackie liked to imagine that James was an angel now, watching over her. She hoped he had a camera around his neck and plenty of jelly beans to feast on. Suddenly, she heard one of her monitors beep. She felt her head get lighter and lighter until she felt nothing. She drifted off into a land of dreams.

Meanwhile, the gang sat in Fiona's apartment having either a late dinner or an extremely early breakfast. Fiona noted with a smile that Sky and Pete still ate their breakfasts the same way they did when they were little. Sky still buttered her toast before putting peanut butter over it and folding it in have. Pete still put ketchup on his hash browns and pepper on his scrambled eggs.

Sky made a face when she saw how her boyfriend was eating his breakfast. "Pete, that's so gross," she stated with a wrinkle of her nose.

"At least I don't maim my toast," Pete shot back, gesturing to the piece in her head. Sky frowned at him.

"Yours is worse!" she shouted.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Finally, Fiona got fed up. "Enough!" she shouted. Pete and Sky whipped their heads over to look at Fiona. "You two have been having this same argument for over ten years! Give it a rest! Everyone has weird breakfast habits."

Sky looked ready to retort but then looked like she was thinking about it. "True," she agreed. "Jackie eats her eggs sunny side up with hot sauce."

"Hot sauce?" Donna repeated skeptically.

"Yep," Sky responded. "She and James would pile so much on their eggs I thought their tongues would melt off."

The conversation about weird breakfast habits continued for a few minutes before the phone rang. Fiona, Sky, and Pete all froze up, dreading what news could be on the other line. The gang remained normal but wondered why the other three were so tense. Fiona got up to answer the phone slowly. She cautiously began talking into it, absorbing all the information she was receiving. The room was practically dead silent.

Hyde turned to Pete. "Why were you guys so nervous when the phone rang?" he asked quietly.

Pete looked at him for a moment before he answered. "Rule number one to cancer: A phone call be the difference between life or death. It can mean the patient got a transplant, or that their platelets dropped too much."

Fiona got off the phone and looked over at the group. "We need to leave. Now."

Sky immediately shot up from her seat and grabbed her coat. "What's happened?" she asked, putting on her jean jacket.

"She has an infection," the older woman explained. "Her white count is extremely low."

"Fuck," Pete whispered.

"What does that mean?" Hyde asked worriedly.

Kitty answered. "It means she'll need a bone marrow transplant."

"Which won't be easy," Fiona added.

"Why not?" Eric asked curiously.

"She's AB negative," the aging hippie explained. "It's very rare. Usually only a blood relative would be a match…"

"And Jackie's mom is too much of a sleazy whore to do that for her," Fez finished unexpectedly. Everyone stared at him. "What? It is true!"

Sky smiled at him. "I like you," she stated cheerfully. Fez looked at her somewhat sleazily. Pete narrowed his eyes at the foreigner.

"Keep your hands off my girl, bud," he warned threateningly. Fez gulped and hid behind Kelso.

And so in the car, they started to formulate a plan to get Pam Burkhart back in Point Place and to the hospital to help her daughter. Fiona sighed. They needed a miracle. Or at the very least, enough tequila to lure Pam away from Mexico.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey! Sorry this hasn't been updated in a **while**. Frankly, I'm sick of writing That '70s Show stuff so I'm trying to finish up all my T70S stuff. So, in this chapter, Jackie gets sicker and more desperate. Will she live? Will she want to? Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. In fact, I'm getting a little sick of writing disclaimers to this effect. **

The drive to the hospital was long and tense. Red was so concerned he actually let Eric drive the Vista Cruiser, and for once Eric didn't turn on the radio or make any kind of dumbass comment. He simply drove about five miles per hour above the speed limit. The whole car was quiet. Even Kitty had nothing to say. She simply wrung the scarf in her hands. Even Fez and Kelso were unusually serious. Fez seemed to be deep in some kind of prayer to his own god for Jackie, and Kelso was just looking out the window thoughtfully. Donna was scribbling something down in a journal. Hyde suspected it was different ways to drag Pam Burkhart's ass back to Point Place. He didn't blame her. Hyde himself was simply seconds away from hopping on a plane to Mexico and tracking down the bitch himself. The only thing stopping him was Jackie.

Fuck, Jackie. Why did this have to happen? Why did his doll have to get sick? Why couldn't it have been someone else? There were millions of people in the world, and yet Jackie was the one condemned to die. Jackie, who acted like a snob but had a heart of gold. Jackie, who was a good friend even when none of them wanted her friendship. Jackie, who was still fighting so hard to live even when it hurt. He wished he could make her feel better, make her pain go down, but he couldn't.

Meanwhile, in Fiona's car, the radio was on. It was some disco crap, probably Jackie's doing. Pete felt a bang in his chest that the tiny brunette never may get to hear her favorite music again. She may never get to dance or smile or kiss her boyfriend again. Sky was thinking similar thoughts. Jackie couldn't die, she just couldn't. It wasn't fair. Jackie had fought so hard and long, and once she had gotten her life back together, she lost everything again. Jackie didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve this.

Pete squeezed Sky's hand in comfort. She smiled faintly at him. She needed to be strong. They needed to be strong. Jackie wouldn't want to see them looking like messes. She would want to see them strong, strong and smiling, like she had been with James. Oh, James…

Finally, both cars arrived at the hospital. Sky and Fiona practically flew out of their car, Pete close behind. The basement gang rushed to keep up with them. They made their way to the cancer ward. Fiona was greeted by a worried-looking nurse.

"What's going on?" Fiona asked urgently. Tammy started to explain.

"Jackie's platelets dropped way too much. She needed a bone marrow transplant."

"Needed?" Donna repeated. "So she got one?"

The nurse looked at her sadly. "Yes," she replied. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief except for Fiona, Sky, and Pete. They knew something else had to be coming. "But there were complications."

"Complications?" Hyde asked worriedly. "What kind of complications?"

Tammy felt a tear flow down her face, but she wiped it away. "She needs a new kidney," the nurse explained. "We have her on dialysis, but it won't last forever."

Sky felt her heart drop. She wanted to slump down to the floor and cry, but Pete held onto her. "Can we go see her?" he asked, his voice steady despite the situation.

Tammy nodded. "Two at a time," she commanded. Everyone nodded.

Fiona asked one more question. "Pain level?"

At this question, Tammy looked proud. "She said nine, but I would've given it a ten."

To everyone's surprise, Sky started laughing. Even Pete looked a little unnerved until he caught on. The couple just stood there laughing hysterically, laughing like they never would laugh again.

"Care to explain what's so funny?" Hyde fumed.

Sky smiled at him. "Jackie's still saving her ten," the beautiful blonde stated. The rest of the room minus Fiona and Pete looked confused. "It means she hasn't given up yet," she clarified.

"Never count Supergirl out," Pete added. "She likes to throw curveballs.

Sky groaned. "I hate sports metaphors," she complained. Her boyfriend simply shrugged. The two then made their way to Jackie's room, leaving everyone else in shock. How could they still laugh? How could they still smile?

Sky and Pete made it to Jackie's room and opened the door tentatively. What they saw saddened them greatly. Jackie had needles placed all over her. Her normally glossy black hair seemed flat, and her normally olive skin was extremely pale. She looked so small in the hospital bed, so much more vulnerable than Sky knew she was.

Jackie opened her mismatched eyes only to see Sky and Pete looking at her worriedly. "Hey," she croaked. "Just in time for the party." She managed a weak smile despite the pain.

Sky and Pete looked at her in surprise. It took them a moment to respond to the joke. "Well, we couldn't let you have all the fun, could we?" Sky teased lightly, her eyes still full of worry. The fact that Jackie was still making jokes, however, was reassuring. She stroked her best friend's cheek.

There was silence for a moment before Jackie spoke again. "You know what would be good dying now?" she asked quietly.

Sky felt dread in the bottom of her stomach. "What?" she asked fearfully.

Jackie's eyes sparkled mischievously, like they always had, and Pete immediately caught on. "I won't die a virgin," she joked. He burst out laughing while Sky remained silent. "Jeez, harsh crowd."

Sky looked into her best friend's eyes. "How are you?" she asked forcefully. It was a question few people liked to ask or answer.

Jackie sighed, suddenly looking so much older. "I wish my ten would come already," she whispered.

"Don't say that," Sky pleaded. "Please don't say that."

Jackie tried to sit up but winced. She just leaned back in her bed and looked at her friends. "I'm tired, Sky," she admitted. "I'm so tired. It would be nice to rest for a while."

"Have them adjust your meds," Pete suggested hopefully. Maybe there was something they could do to make her more comfortable.

Jackie shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about," the tiny brunette said. "I'm sick of the pain. I want to stop my body to stop hurting. I want my heart to stop hurting."

Neither Sky or Pete could say anything. They knew what Jackie meant. She wanted to go to Heaven and see James and be whole again. Neither wanted to deny her that, but they didn't want to let her go either.

"Just hang on a bit longer," Sky begged. "Just a little bit longer."

Jackie smiled faintly at her friend. "I will," the small girl promised, "but you have to do something for me too."

"What?" Sky asked anxiously.

"Take care of them when I died," Jackie replied. Sky winced at the wording of that request but nodded.

"Okay," she said. "I promise." And with that, Jackie knew her friends would be okay when she died. She knew Steven would be okay when she died. Jackie knew she was going to die. It was only a matter of when.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey! I know I haven't updated this in a bit. Sorry about that. This is probably the last official chapter, and then there will be the epligoue. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own That 70s' Show. If I did, I'd have oodles of money. Clearly, if I'm writing fanfiction, I don't.**

The next few days were spent going in and out of the hospital. The basement gang, particularly Hyde, clung to the hope that Jackie would get another kidney. Fiona, Sky, and Pete knew better. Jackie's blood type was rare, and the chances were they wouldn't even give a kidney to someone as sick as her. People were in Jackie's room constantly. Doctors and nurses alike visited, offering soothing words to the tiny burnette. Jackie insisted on all her kids coming to visit her, which they did. She convinced Tammy to bring a TV and the brand new VCR just donated so they could have a Scooby Doo marathon. Jackie tried to keep her kids happy. She didn't want them to be sad.

It was a dark, gloomy Thursday. Hyde, Pete, and Sky were sitting in Jackie's hospital room. Fiona was off working, and everyone else was either at school or work. Hyde refused to leave Jackie. He didn't want to leave her alone. Sky and Pete didn't want to leave their friend either.

Jackie drifted in and out of conscious. She would start to mutter things, things that didn't make sense. Hyde made out bits of the words: help, James, faster. He had no clue what his girlfriend was dreaming about, but he hoped they were good dreams. He kissed her forehead before stepping out to go get something to drink. "Love you, Doll," he whispered scratchily.

Jackie blinked open her eyes, staring foggily at Hyde. "Love you too, Steven," she replied hoarsely. Those were the last words Steven Hyde would ever say to Jackie Burkhart.

Jackie tried to sit up, but it hurt too much. She took a few shallow breaths. She hated this, feeling out of breath and weak all the time. She hated being tired and weak and small. She just wanted it to end. "Sky," she mumbled.

"Yeah?" the blonde responded worriedly. Sky was smart. She knew Jackie was holding on as tight as she could, and yet the loud girl was still slipping away.

"I think I hit my ten," she stated.

Sky's eyes widened while Pete looked angry. "Don't say that," he reprimanded. "You're not going to die, Supergirl. You're going to live a long time. A long, long time. Until you're a hundred and three."

Jackie's eyes twinkled. "And what about you?" she shot back weakly.

Pete smirked. "I'm immortal, baby," he winked. Sky smacked his arm.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath. Jackie smiled weakly. She was glad they were here.

"Hey, will you do something for me?" Jackie asked quietly.

"Yes," Sky agreed immediately. Hell, if Jackie asked her to climb Mt. Everest right now, she'd say yes.

"There's a wooden box under my bed at my parent's house," Jackie explained. "The key's under my rug. Send it to your mom."

"Your mom?" Sky repeated skeptically.

"My mom," Jackie confirmed. "It's full of stuff I've saved. I want her to see that I had a life, and a damn good one at that."

"Okay," Sky agreed. "I'll send her the box."

"Good," Jackie said. "Sky?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Sky smiled. "I love you too, Jackie."

Pete feigned hurt. "What about me?"

"I love you too, Pete," the brunette reassured him. She studied her friends. "You guys should go eat or at least take a shower. I'm not going anywhere."

Sky looked hesitate, but Pete nodded. "Okay," he said. "See ya later, Supergirl."

Jackie only smiled as her friends left the room. Those were the last words anyone would ever hear Jackie Burkhart say.

Five minutes later, Hyde entered the room to find all of Jackie's machines quiet. Panicking, his arm went immediately to her wrist, checking for a pulse. There was none. Jackie Beluah Burkhart was officially dead.

Hyde broke down. Jackie, his doll, was gone. He just wanted to dig himself into a hole and never come out. What had Jackie done to deserve this? She was only seventeen for Christ's sake! There was so much more she should've had the opportunity to do. There was so much more she could do.

Tammy heard Hyde crying and came in. She took one look at Jackie and understood. Her favorite patient, the bright little girl who loved to help people, was gone. Tammy, too, started to cry.

Jackie's funeral was big, full of people and love. Everyone who had loved her showed up. The funeral was full of doctors and nurses who had befriended the tiny girl and fellow patients who were captivated by her. All of Jackie's kids were there also, standing with bright flowers. The basement gang stood in front with Fiona and Pete. The rest of their friends were there as well.

It was a long service, mainly because everyone wanted to stand up and say something. Jackie's doctors talked about her will power, how she kept fighting until the end. Jackie's nurses, Tammy in particular, talked about her kindness, the way she always wanted to make others smiled. Sky stood up and talked about the fun, carefree friend she'd have. Pete talked about the extremely charming witty midget he had known. All of Jackie's friends had something nice to say, a memory or something Jackie had done to help them. All the kids stood up and recited a poem one of the girls had written. Fiona couldn't say anything. She was just too shaken up.

And then it was the basement gang's turn. Donna went first. She talked about how Jackie was always a good friend to her no matter what. Eric stood up and said how Jackie drove him crazy sometimes, but how they always secretly agreed on stuff and how that was nice. Fez talked about his goddess and how they went shopping and on quests for new candy together. Kelso talked about his favorite ex-girlfriend and how she always looked out for him. Laurie talked about the bitchy girl she'd always respected. Red talked about his favorite, the girl who could actually hold a flashlight. Kitty remembered the girl she tried to teach how to cook, the one who always gossiped with her. And Hyde, well, Hyde talked about his Doll, the girl who opened his heart.

And watching from a distance was a woman with newly colored dark hair and a sad smile. She didn't dare approach, but she watched. She watched and listened. She watched and listened and clutched a note in her hands. The note was found at the bottom of a wooden box filled with mementos any mother would kill to have. The mementos showed the life of a girl, a well-loved happy girl, an active girl, a strong girl. The note was simple. It said: I lived, Mama, I lived. Aren't you proud? For the first time in years, Pamela Burkhart let her emotions show, weeping until there was nothing left.


	17. Epilogue

**Hey! Here's the epilogue as promised! Sorry it took me so long to update! I had my finals, but now they're over and summer's here. I'm hoping to update my stories more frequently. Thanks to all my regular reviewers who gave me support and encouragement and just made me smile on a bad day. You guys rock! Thanks for reading! Disclaimer: I don't own That '70s Show. I tried, but they said no. *frowns***

Jackie opened her eyes. She had no clue where she was, but it was beautiful, beautiful and white with a gorgeous silver gate. She walked forward, and suddenly a cheerful looking man appeared before her.

"Excuse me," Jackie said politely. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

The man ignored her question. "Name?" he requested.

Jackie, pushing away her annoyance, smiled charmingly. "Jackie Burkhart," she answered.

It was the man's turn to smile. "We've been waiting for you, Miss Burkhart," he stated cheerfully.

"Wait, what do you mean waiting for..." Jackie started, but then the man was gone. The gate opened, and she took a hesitant step forward. There were no words for this place. It reminded her of every place good, of the beach and the ocean and the Forman's basement. It reminded her of what home should be like. There were people everywhere, happy people. Everyone looked young and happy and carefree, no marks of pain and suffering on them.

Jackie sighed. "I wish I looked like that," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly, a mirror appeared in her hands. She stared at her reflection in shock. Her hair was long and beautiful once again, her olive skin healthy and glowing. Her eyes were sparkling, and she noticed she was no longer wearing the drab hospital gown but a beautiful pink dress. It was made of soft chiffon and swished when she moved.

"Oh my God," Jackie whispered to herself. "Is this..." A thought popped into her head. "I want to see James," she whispered. "Please let me see James!"

And then there he was, exactly as she had remembered him. His dark hair was still short, his hazel eyes sparkling with laughter. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, exactly the way he had always dressed. Best of all, he looked happy, almost as if he had never been sick. All of his scars were gone, and now that she thought about it, so were hers. They were clean, fresh, and new.

"Well, what did I deserve to get such a beautiful girl in this place?" James joked. Still, he didn't take his eyes off her. Not having Jackie by his side had been the only bad thing about this place. He had missed her, and even watching her through the screen had done nothing for him.

Within seconds, Jackie was in his arms. "I missed you," she mumbled frantically. "I missed you so much."

James nodded. "I know," he soothed. "I know. I missed you too. I'm glad you're here now."

Jackie looked around curiously, still not leaving James's embrace. "Where am I?"

He grudgingly let her go and gestured around them. "Welcome to the afterlife!"

Jackie's eyes lit up. "So you're never going to leave me again?" she asked hopefully, desperately wanting it to be true."

James nodded. "You're mine forever now," he whispered, sending chill through Jackie's spine.

Jackie smiled radiantly. This was perfection, this was happiness. This was home, now and forever. "Who else is here?"

James grabbed Jackie's hand. "Everyone," he said. "Let's go see them." And so the two lovers ran off to see their friends, to catch up. Of course, they had eternity to catch up. Still, Jackie didn't want to waste one second. She was finally here, finally happy, and all she had needed was a little faith.


End file.
